System for and method of mixed-color cullet characterization and certification, and providing contaminant-free, uniformly colored mixed-color cullet

ABSTRACT

Methods of creating a batch of recycled glass from mixed color glass cullet. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving at a glass plant a weight and color composition percentage of a first batch of mixed color cullet. The glass plant also receives a weight and color composition percentage of a second batch of mixed color cullet. The weight and color composition percentage of the first batch and the second batch are combined to generate a combined weight and composition percentage. The combined weight and composition are percentage are used to generate, automatically at a glass plant, a formulation to produce glass of a desired color.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 60/626,973, filed Nov. 12, 2004, which is incorporatedherein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of glass production and, moreparticularly, to systems and methods for providing substantiallyuniformly colored, contaminant-free, mixed-color cullet, andcharacterizing and/or certifying the composition of mixed-color cullet.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Entities within a glass recycling process stream, such as materialrecovery facilities (MRFs) and beneficiators, encounter challenges inperforming color-sorting and recovering adequate quantities of glassthat meet the quality standards for recycled material. A MRF'straditional function has been to serve as a drop-off and sorting pointfor recycled materials. MRFs sort mixed glass by color into amber,green, and flint glass. Beneficiators typically receive sorted glassfrom MRFs and then clean and process the glass to make the glassacceptable as source material for bottle production.

However, a quantity of glass is shattered during processing. Thisby-product of the sorting process is known as mixed cullet, as it is amix of amber, green, and flint glass shards. Thus, under the traditionalprocessing system, beneficiators amass stockpiles of mixed cullet, whichmay be used as landfill cover or as a road material (e.g., as aconstituent of asphalt). If a beneficiator wishes to extract a highervalue from the mixed cullet, the beneficiator is forced to try thedifficult and costly task of optically sorting these stockpiles of mixedglass by color.

To date, mixed cullet has thus had only limited commercial use. Forexample, mixed cullet is typically limited to uses such as an aggregatein paving material, landfill cover, or some similar use. Mixed culletoften is discarded in landfills.

We have discovered that it would be beneficial to develop a process forre-using mixed colored glass, wherein mixed cullet can be used, likecolor-sorted cullet, in a recycling process to make new glass products.We have also discovered that is would be useful to generate a market forthree-color mixed cullet, thereby reducing or eliminating the amount ofmixed-color cullet that is discarded.

However, the composition of C3MC from a particular beneficiator varieswith time, and the composition of the material from differentbeneficiators is not uniform. Furthermore, the composition of C3MC maynot be accurate to specification. Any difference between a C3MCspecification that may be used to manufacture new glass products and theactual composition of supplied C3MC results in substandard glass that isinconsistent with glass manufactured from other batches. Thus, thecomposition of C3MC from various beneficiators must be known, tracked,and recorded to allow glass manufacturers (also known as “glass plants”)to modify, as may be necessary, the mix of C3MC, as it arrives, withother glass of complementary composition to produce a final blend ofC3MC that can be utilized in conjunction with standard processingtechniques.

We have determined that it would be useful to provide a system andmethod for processing post-consumer glass into mixed cullet so that, forexample, it satisfies glass manufacturer/plant requirements for purity(e.g., minimal organic, ferrous, paper, plastic and other lightfraction, ceramic, and/or aluminum contaminants commingled with themixed cullet). We have also determined that it would be useful toprovide a system and method that uniformly maintains predeterminedpercentage ranges of amber, green, and flint glass in mixed cullet for aconsistent feed stream to glass manufacturers/plants. Providing definitecolor ranges of mixed cullet ensures that glass manufacturing techniquesare changed as infrequently as possible, which increases productivityand reduces cost by, for example, eliminating the need for analysis bythe glass manufacturer/plant in order to determine C3MC composition.

We have also determined that it would be useful to facilitate the use ofblended C3MC shipped from multiple beneficiators. Glass plants couldthen advantageously utilize the resulting C3MC blend in conjunction withstandard processing techniques to produce new glass products, based uponthe consolidation of the various C3MC loads of differing composition.

We have also determined that it would be useful to provide a system andmethod that provides substantially pure mixed cullet, whereby impuritiessuch as, for example, organic, ferrous, paper, plastic (and other lightfraction), ceramic, and/or aluminum contaminants are removed frompost-consumer recycled glass.

LIST OF FIGURES

FIG. 1 illustrates a functional block diagram of an exemplary glassrecycling system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary method of mixed-colorcullet characterization and certification for glass batch formulationsin accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary method of providingsubstantially uniformly colored, substantially contaminant-free mixedcullet, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary plot of expected cumulative percentfiner than (CPFT) vs. C3MC particle size.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flow diagram showing exemplary entity interactionsduring the process of providing mixed cullet characterization andcertification for batch formulations.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to systems and methodsof characterizing and certifying mixed color cullet produced bybeneficiators and/or material recovery facilities (MRFs). Although threecolor mixed-cullet (C3MC) is generally referred to herein, the presentinvention may also be equally utilized in connection with any type ofmixed cullet, such as two-, four-, or five-color mixed cullet.

Providing C3MC profile data with shipments of C3MC produced by abeneficiator and/or MRF allows glass manufacturers/plants to know therelative color composition of the C3MC, and thus make adjustments to theglass formulation to ensure that the end-product meets a predeterminedcolor specification. Additionally, the compilation and storage of C3MCprofile data provides a way to track C3MC composition over time, whichmay affect orders, pricing, composition requests, process management,and/or contract negotiations. Additionally, because the colorcomposition of C3MC is known to the glass manufacturer/plant, thisallows stockpiles of C3MC from different sources or different batches tobe blended, in order to achieve a preferred C3MC blend. Further, becausethe color composition of C3MC is known to the glass manufacturer/plant,embodiments of the present invention eliminate the need for samplingand/or sample analysis by glass manufacturers/plants in order todetermine C3MC composition.

FIG. 1 illustrates a functional block diagram of a glass recyclingsystem 100 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention.Glass recycling system 100 may include a plurality of beneficiators 110a-c, each respectively including an optical imaging device 112 a-c andcontroller 114 a-c. MRF 116 a-c respectively supply beneficiators 110a-c with 3CMC. However, any single MRF 116 a-c may supply any singlebeneficiator 110 a-c or combination of beneficiators 110 a-c. Any numberof optical imaging devices 112 a-c may be utilized to suit processingrequirements.

MRFs 116 a-c are representative of any number of conventional, solidwaste processing plants that are primarily responsible for receiving andsorting recyclable material received from collectors. This recyclablematerial typically has been collected from sources such as residentialcurbsides, community drop-off points, and/or reverse vending sites.

Upon receipt of such material, MRFs 116 a-c process the material,generally by sorting recyclables from non-recyclables, and furthersorting recyclables by material type, such as glass, plastic and paper.Glass that is sorted is further sorted for contaminants, such asceramics, prior to being shipped to beneficiators 110 a-c. Additionally,the glass processed by MRFs 116 a-c may be crushed, for example, tomaximize shipping loads. After MRFs 116 a-c process the glass, the glassis transported to one or more beneficiator 110 a-c.

Beneficiators 110 a-c are primarily responsible for cleaning andpurifying glass so that it is suitable for use by a glass plant. In oneembodiment, beneficiators 110 a-c produce C3MC of a sufficient qualitysuch that it may be used, for example, in connection with U.S. Pat. No.5,718,737, entitled, “Method of Recycling Mixed Colored Cullet intoAmber, Green, or Flint Glass,” U.S. Pat. No. 6,230,521, entitled,“Method of Recycling Batches of Mixed-Color Cullet into Amber, Green, orFlint Glass with Selected Properties,” and/or U.S. Pat. No. 6,763,280,entitled “Automated Process for Recycling Batches of Mixed Color Culletinto Amber, Green, or Flint Glass with Selected Properties,” each ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference. The associated C3MCtechnology allows the direct use of three-color (e.g., green, amber, andflint) mixed cullet in glass manufacturing and, therefore, reducesand/or eliminates the need for color-sorting recycled glass prior to itsre-use in the production of glass articles. An example C3MC colordistribution is approximately 55% flint, 30% amber, and 15% green.

Optical imaging devices 112 a-c are standard optical imaging devices,such as a Clarity-Plus model from Binder and Co. (Gleisdorf, Austria),that can be used to image, analyze the composition of, and sort culletinto three separate bins of varying color. For example, each opticalimaging device 112 a-c can be positioned at a location near the finaloutput of its respective beneficiator 110 a-c, and thereby perform acolor profiling operation that records the final color composition ofthe C3MC produced by a beneficiator 110 a-c. Other optical imagingdevices may be utilized within beneficiator 110 a-c for general sortingpurposes. In addition to color profiling, optical imaging devices 112a-c may also do contaminant profiling. For example, color andcontaminant analysis of the C3MC may be performed by standard methods ortechniques that utilize, for example, optical and/or chemical compositecolor constitution.

Controllers 114 a-c may be implemented, for example, as a conventionalcomputer, such as a personal computer, configured with or utilizingcontrol software used for storing C3MC specification data. Controllers114 a-c are electrically connected to its associated optical imagingdevice 112 a-c using, for example, conventional network link, such as anEthernet link. Controllers 114 a-c respectively process informationobtained by optical imaging devices 112 a-c, and provide a profile orspecification sheet for the C3MC produced by its associated beneficiator110 a-c. C3MC specification data may be compiled and/or stored bycontrollers 114 a-c for individual shipments (e.g., by the truckload),and/or on a daily, weekly, and/or monthly basis. In this way, shipmentsof C3MC from beneficiator 110 a-c are accompanied by associatedcertification or specification data. As shown in glass recycling system100 of FIG. 1, shipments of C3MC from beneficiators 110 a-c are receivedby a glass plant 118 to form C3MC stockpile 120. Because stockpile 120for each glass plant 118 can be supplied by a different beneficiator(s)110 a-c, the color composition of stockpile 120 for each glass plant 118will typically vary.

As shown in FIG. 1, glass plant 118 may include, for example, feeder122, raw materials supply 124, mixing/melting equipment 126, batchcontroller 128, an accumulation of plant scrap 130. Glass plant can sendits output to bottler/retailer 132. Glass plant 118 receives C3MC frombeneficiators 110 a-c and, by using the C3MC technology and software, isable to introduce recycled mixed glass, i.e., C3MC, into its existingglass manufacturing process to make color-specific glass articles, suchas amber bottles.

Feeder 122 is a conventional feeding mechanism, such as an electronicvibrating conveyor belt feeder, that transports C3MC from stockpile 120to a mixing stage (not shown). Raw materials supply 124 isrepresentative of any device for handling, feeding, and analyzing theraw materials. Raw materials supply 124 includes a collection of typicalraw material elements for making glass, such as sand, soda ash,limestone, and nepheline syenite. One or more raw materials elements aretypically blended with some percentage of C3MC from C3MC stockpiles 120via a mixing stage (not shown).

The output of feeder 122 and raw materials supply 124 may be provided tomixing/melting equipment 126, which may include or utilize a standardmixing stage (not shown) for blending the C3MC and raw materials. Theoutput of mixing stage can be fed to a melting stage (not shown) thatmelts the raw materials. The melted raw material, typically in the formof a viscous liquid, is provided to equipment (not shown), such asbottle-forming equipment. For example, standard cooling/annealing stageequipment (not shown) can be used to cool and anneal the produced glassproduct(s) (e.g., bottles). The produced glass products can be inspectedbefore the final product is shipped, for example, to bottlers/retailers132. The final inspection stage may be performed to determine whetherfinal glass product meets the expected quality and color specifications.

Batch controller 128 may be implemented, for example, as a conventionalcomputer, such as a personal computer, configured to operate with and/orutilize control software that stores and manages the glass formulationand mixing parameters of glass plant 118. Batch controller 128 thuscontrols the feed of C3MC from feeder 122 and raw materials from rawmaterials supply 124 to the mixing stage within mixing/melting equipment126. Batch formulation mixing parameters may be manually entered intobatch controller 128 and/or plant batch weigh-out and mixing equipment.Alternatively, batch formulation mixing parameters may be electronicallyintegrated with, for example, the plant batch weigh-out and mixingequipment. In one embodiment, batch controller 128 may utilize, forexample, methods and/or techniques as disclosed, for example, in U.S.Pat. No. 6,230,521 to manage the glass formulation and mixing parametersof glass plant 118.

Plant scrap 130 is (surplus) green, amber, flint and/or mixed glass thatis generated as a byproduct of the glass manufacturing process. Glass ofany particular color from plant scrap 130 may be fed back into themixing stage within mixing/melting equipment 126 for blending with theC3MC from feeder 122 and raw materials from raw materials supply 124,under the control of batch controller 128.

The operation of glass recycling system 100 is as follows. Glassprocessed by MRFs 116 a-c is transported to one or more of beneficiators110 a-c, where the glass is further cleaned and purified. Duringprocessing, a portion of the glass becomes C3MC. Optical imaging devices112 a-c perform a color and contaminant profiling operation, andtransmit their image data to controllers 114 a-c, respectively, forcompilation and storage. Controllers 114 a-c provide a color andcontaminant composition profile or specification sheet for C3MC that isrespectively produced by beneficiators 110 a-c. The C3MC specificationdata may be compiled by controllers 114 a-c in any increment, such astruckload-by-truckload, daily, weekly, monthly and/or yearly, and beaccessible to batch controller 128 (by using, for example, an internetconnection or other network connection).

C3MC from beneficiators 110 a-c, with their associated compositionprofile, is subsequently provided to glass plant 118 for use inmixing/melting equipment 126. As a result, at glass plant 118, C3MCstockpile 120 is formed from an accumulation of C3MC that originatesfrom one or more of beneficiator 110 a-c. As a result, C3MC stockpile120 has a color composition that is accumulated from beneficiators 110a-c. The C3MC profile information received with each shipment of C3MC byglass plant 118 includes, for example, the location of the supplyingbeneficiator 110 a-c, the weight of the delivery (e.g., a typicaltruckload provides 20-25 tons of C3MC), the green, amber, or flint colorcomposition, the contaminant composition and/or average glass size.

As glass plant 118 receives each shipment of C3MC from beneficiators 110a-c, the associated profile data is stored within batch controller 128.Subsequently, and based upon the C3MC profile data, batch controller 128makes real-time or near real-time adjustments to the batch formulationutilized by mixing/melting equipment 126. For example, batch controller128 may direct that a specific quantity of C3MC from stockpile 120 bemixed with a specific quantity raw materials supply 124 and a specificquantity plant scrap 130. Additionally, batch controller 128 can makeother real-time color adjustments, such as adding (additional) copperoxide.

In summary, the C3MC profile data associated with each shipment of C3MCis provided to batch controller 128 for use in making adjustments to theglass formulation. This ensures that the end-product leavingmixing/melting equipment 126 and delivered to bottlers/retailers 132meets a predetermined color specification. Additionally, the compilationand storage of C3MC profile data within controllers 114 a-c ofbeneficiators 110 a-c and batch controller 128 of glass plant 118provides a way to track C3MC composition over time, which may affect,for example, orders, pricing, composition requests, process management,and/or contract negotiations. Additionally, because the colorcomposition of C3MC is known to glass plant 118, this allows stockpilesof C3MC from different sources or different batches to be blended toachieve a preferred C3MC blend. Also, because the color composition ofC3MC is known to glass plant 118, embodiments of the present inventioneliminate the need for sampling and sample analysis by the glass plant118 in order to determine C3MC composition and subsequent glassformulation adjustments.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary method 200 ofmixed-color cullet characterization and certification for glass batchformulations in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

At step 210, mixed-color cullet is processed at beneficiator 110 a-c.Glass processed by MRFs 116 a-c is transported to beneficiators 110 a-c,where the recycled glass is further cleaned and purified, in which atleast a portion thereof generally results in or becomes C3MC.

At step 212, the mixed-color cullet is color profiled. Optical imagingdevices 112 a-c perform a color and contaminate profiling (e.g.,analysis) operation to determine the percent content of each color andcontaminate level within the C3MC being shipped from beneficiators 110a-c. Optical imaging devices 112 a-c then transmit their image data tocontrollers 114 a-c, respectively.

At step 214, image data is stored, for example, at a beneficiator 110a-c. For example, image data received from optical imaging devices 112a-c is stored, thereby providing a color composition profile orspecification sheet for the C3MC that is respectively produced bybeneficiators 110 a-c. C3MC specification data may be compiled bycontrollers 114 a-c in any increment, such as by truckload, daily,weekly, monthly, or yearly. Additionally, the C3MC specification datamay include, for example, the location of the supplying beneficiator 110a-c, the weight of the delivery (e.g., typical truckload is 20-25 tonsof C3MC), the green, amber, or flint color composition, the contaminantcomposition, and/or the particle size.

At step 216, C3MC is delivered to glass plant 118. C3MC frombeneficiators 110 a-c, with their associated specification data, issubsequently delivered to glass plant 118 for use in its mixing/meltingequipment 126. As a result, at glass plant 118, C3MC stockpile 120 isformed from the C3MC that originates from beneficiators 110 a-c. As aresult, C3MC stockpile 120 may have a unique color composition.

At step 218, C3MC specification data is stored or used by glass plant118. As glass plant 118 receives each shipment of C3MC frombeneficiators 110 a-c, the associated specification data can be stored,for example, within batch controller 128.

At step 220, glass batch formulations are determined. Glass batchformulation can be determined by using the stored C3MC specificationdata as input parameters to a software routine that is used fordetermining the glass batch formulation as specified, for example, inU.S. Pat. No. 6,230,521, entitled, “Method of Recycling Batches ofMixed-Color Cullet into Amber, Green, or Flint Glass with SelectedProperties,” which is incorporated herein by reference.

At step 222, the glass batch formulation is adjusted at glass plant 118in accordance with, for example, the C3MC-specific glass batchformulation established in step 220. More specifically, batch controller128 can make real-time and/or near real-time adjustments to the batchformulation within mixing/melting equipment 126 based, for example, uponthe C3MC specification data accessible to batch controller 128 via, forexample, network or internet connection, by using the techniquesdisclosed, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,230,521. Such adjustments mayinclude, for example, requesting a specific quantities of C3MC from C3MCstockpile 120 to be blended with a specific quantity of raw materialsfrom raw materials supply 124 and, optionally, with glass fragments fromplant scrap 130.

At step 224, C3MC stockpiles are blended. In this step, and asdetermined in step 220, under the control and direction of batchcontroller 128, a further color composition of C3MC may be formed andfed into mixing/melting equipment 126 by combining specific quantitiesof C3MC stockpile 120 with plant scrap 130, thereby providing improvedC3MC stockpile management at glass plant 118. For example, an additionalC3MC stockpile is formed of a blend of C3MC stockpile 120 and plantscrap 130. In this way, material from C3MC stockpiles 120 and plantscrap 130 are blended to form a stockpile of C3MC that has preferredcolor composition, as determined by batch controller 128, for feedinginto mixing/melting equipment 126.

At step 226, other color adjustments may be performed. For example,batch controller 128 makes any other real-time color adjustments, suchas adding additional copper oxide to the batch formulation to compensatefor high levels of green cullet in the batch for amber glass.

At step 228, mixing/melting equipment 126 performs the well-known glassmanufacturing process that includes standard sequential manufacturingstages, such as the outputs of feeder 122 and raw materials supply 124feeding a mixing stage for blending the C3MC and raw materials. Themixing stage subsequently feeds a melting stage for heating and therebymelts the raw materials. The end product is formed from the viscousliquid from the melting stage via a bottle-forming stage that performs astandard glass blowing or press and blowing process that subsequentlyfeeds a cooling/annealing stage, wherein the end product, such as abottle, is slowly cooled and annealed. The end product is fed to a finalinspection stage before the final glass product, such as amber bottles,is shipped to bottlers/retailers 132. The final inspection stagedetermines whether final glass product meets the expected quality andcolor specifications. At step 230, glass products are shipped, forexample, to bottlers/retailers.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary method of providingsubstantially uniformly colored, substantially contaminant-free mixedcullet, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. At step 310,post-consumer glass is collected. For example, recycled glass iscollected by solid municipal waste companies at curbside pickup.

At step 315, the recycled glass is grossly sorted from the otherrecyclables (e.g., paper, plastic, ceramics, and metal). For example,the glass products are sorted by hand at MRF 116 a-c, and delivered, forexample, to glass beneficiator 110 a-c for additional separation and/orprocessing (as described, for example, in steps 320 through 365).

At step 320, ferrous materials are filtered from the glass mixture. Forexample, the ferrous contaminants may be removed via standard magneticseparation techniques. At step 325, light materials, such as paper andplastics, are filtered from the glass mixture. Techniques such asvacuuming and/or blowing, using a standard air classification system,may be utilized.

At step 330, non-ferrous metallic contaminants, such as aluminum, arefiltered from the glass mixture by, for example, a standard eddy currentseparation system. At this point, the glass product is substantiallyfree of plastic, paper, and metal contaminants, but may still containceramic and/or organic contaminants. For example, a KSP sorter fromBinder and Co., can be used to separate out non-glass material such asceramic, stone, porcelain, aluminum and/or lead.

At step 335, glass that is less than or equal to approximately 0.25inches within the glass mixture is separated from the stream, sinceglass less than approximately 0.25 inches in generally too small to besorted. The cullet less than or equal to approximately 0.25 inches maybe separated, for example, by passing the stream through a screen with0.25-inch grids. The glass less than or equal to approximately 0.25inches may be further purified by using, for example, imaging andinfrared transmission methods, such as discussed in connection with step345. In addition, the glass less than or equal to approximately 0.25inch may, for example, be ground, for example, to 40 mesh and returnedto the main glass stream as fines. In addition, the glass less than orequal to approximately 0.25 inch may be used, for example, in asphalt.

At step 340, glass that is greater than approximately 1.5 inches in sizeis separated from the glass mixture, crushed to a size of less than 1.5inches, and returned to the glass flow stream. The cullet is separated,for example, by passing the stream through a screen with, for example,approximately, 1.5-inch grids. The crushing operation is performed, forexample, by a standard industrial jaw crusher such as is commonly usedin the glass industry for crushing cullet and/or used in the mineralprocessing industry for crushing ore. The industrial jaw crusher is awell-known size-reduction apparatus using an aperture between tworeciprocating plates. The jaw crusher serves as a screen for the maximumparticle size.

At step 345, ceramic contaminants are filtered from the glass mixtureby, for example, imaging and/or infrared transmission techniques. Forexample, the cullet stream may be passed through an optical or infraredtransmission device with a feedback system and a series of air jets. Asthe cullet stream passes between the optical source and the detector,the transmission of each particle is measured. Clear glass particles areallowed to pass, and the opaque ceramic particles are identified andejected with a quick burst of air from the jets. For efficientseparation of the ceramic, a closed circuit scanning system can beutilized with a large (e.g., 300%-600%) circulating load.

Typically, two optical or infrared detection devices are employed ineach closed circuit ceramic elimination system. The first optical devicemay function as the exit gate to the circuit, and be configured with adiscrimination coefficient that permits glass to exit the circuit bypositive sort. The circulating load contains mostly glass with somelevel of ceramic contamination. The second optical detection device canexamine the circulating load and removes opaque (ceramic or othernon-glass) particles by positive sort, thus preventing ceramic levelsfrom building up in the circulating load and allowing an exit point forceramic particles. The cleaned glass exiting this closed loop system isthen sent to a second set of optical cleaning devices for “polishing” ofthe stream. These devices may be similar transmission devices asdescribed above, or they may be more advanced optical imaging devicesaimed at identifying and eliminating ceramic contamination by opticalimaging in combination with air jet ejection.

An exemplary ceramic contaminant specification is provided in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Exemplary Mixed Cullet Ceramic Contaminant Target SpecificationsIngredient Target Specification Ceramic contamination, all samples ≦5g/ton

At step 350, cullet that is greater than approximately 0.625 inches isseparated from the glass mixture, crushed to a size of less thanapproximately 0.625 inches, and returned to the glass flow stream. Thecullet is separated, for example, by passing the stream through a screenwith grids having a size of approximately 0.625 inches. The crushingoperation is performed, for example, by a standard industrial jawcrusher, as discussed above (in connection with step 340). Theindustrial jaw crusher is a well-known size-reduction apparatus using anaperture between two reciprocating plates, and serves as a screen forthe maximum particle size.

At step 355, the processed mixed cullet or clean three-color mixedcullet (C3MC) can be blended with other C3MC that has been accumulatedover a period of time. The nature of the blending operation depends onthe variability of the cullet. Cullet storage piles are developed at thecullet processing site for the purpose of both aging the cullet, asdescribed in step 360, and for blending. A single conical stockpile, orseveral such stockpiles, are effectively used as a blending vehicle byadding to the stockpile at the vertex and removing from the stockpile invertical slices with, for example, a front loader. Scoops from multiplepiles are blended in a single shipment to dampen and eliminate thematerial variability in shipments to glass plants. Stockpiles of5,000-10,000 tons size are typical for glass processing facilitiesshipping 100,000 tons per year.

The color distribution of C3MC is generally geographically dependant.Thus, each processor's geographical region may have its ownspecification. Exemplary color uniformity specifications are furtherillustrated in Table 2.

TABLE 2 Exemplary C3MC Color Uniformity and Purity Target SpecificationsIngredient Target Specification Green cullet sample-to-sample ±5% fromgiven spec Green cullet short-term ±10% from given spec Green culletlong-term ±20% from given spec Amber cullet sample-to-sample ±5% fromgiven spec Amber cullet short-term ±10% from given spec Amber culletlong-term ±20% from given spec Notes: Sample size for color measurementis 10 kg. Smaller analytical specimens can be obtained from the 10 kgsample by, for example, splitting and quartering. Definition: Short termis, for example, 2–6 weeks. Long term is, for example, 6 weeks orgreater.

The color specifications of Table 2 are given for a 10 kg C3MC sample.An example processor's geographical region specification may include aC3MC supply that has approximately 22% green cullet, 30% amber, and 48%flint. Applying the target specification of Table 2 to this example, thesample-to-sample percent green cullet may vary from 20.9% to 23.1%. Theshort-term percent green cullet may vary from 19.8% to 24.2%, and thelong-term percent green cullet may vary from 17.6% to 26.4%. Thesample-to-sample percent amber cullet may vary from 28.5% to 31.5%. Theshort-term percent amber cullet may vary from 27% to 33%, and thelong-term percent amber cullet may vary from 24% to 36%.

At step 360, the C3MC is amassed and aged for approximately 2 to 4weeks. Much of the organic contamination that remains from aftercompleting step 345 is in the form of polysaccharide food residues thatare subject to breakdown by biological action in the process offermentation. By amassing the material in large storage piles, eitherindoors or outdoors, the natural yeasts and biological agents in theorganic glass contaminants commence an exothermic fermentation processthat converts polysaccharide impurities to simple sugars, and ultimatelyto alcohol and CO₂ gas, both of which readily disperse in the air. Theheat generated by the process raises the temperature, e.g., from 15° C.to 35° C., thus accelerating the process. This aging process iseffective in reducing the organic level in the glass mixture. Theorganic contaminant specification is further illustrated in Table 3.

TABLE 3 Exemplary Mixed Cullet Organic Contaminant Target SpecificationsIngredient Target Specification Organic contamination, generalspecification ±2 lbs./ton Organic contaminant, instantaneous sample-to-±0.25 lbs./ton sample variability Organic contaminant, short-termvariability ±.25 lbs./ton Organic contaminant long-term ±1.0 lb./tonNote: organic contamination levels are specified on a per ton of glasscullet basis. Sampling for organic measurements typically requires aminimum 2 kg samples representatively collected from shipments orstorage piles. Definition: Short term is, for example, 2–6 weeks. Longterm is, for example, 6 weeks or greater.

At decision step 365, by examining the analytical measurements, adetermination is made as to whether the final C3MC material prepared forshipment meets the target specifications of, for example, Tables 1, 2,and/or 3. Furthermore, whether the final C3MC material meets theexpected particle-size range, which is typically between 1 and 16 mm, asis shown in FIG. 4, can also be determined. More specifically, FIG. 4shows the expected cumulative percent finer than (CPFT) vs. C3MCparticle size (in millimeters). At decision step 365, if targetspecifications are not met, then the process returns to step 315. Iftarget specifications are met, then, at step 370, the C3MC meeting thespecifications of Tables 1, 2, and/or 3, which are generally summarizedin Table 4, is delivered, for example, to glass plant 118.

TABLE 4 Average Expected Contaminant Levels Within the C3MC ContaminantNominal Low High Moisture, % 1.0 0.5 2.0 Aluminum, g/ton 0 0 1 Ceramics,g/ton 5 1 15 Organics*, lbs/ton 2 1 4 *organics are typically a mixtureof polysaccharide and polyolefin materials that average approximately50% carbon.

Moisture content of the C3MC material is typically not controlled.Instead, it is measured and reported. The C3MC material is sufficientlycoarse that water typically drains out. Therefore, special precautionsare generally not needed. C3MC typically saturates under standardconditions at ≦2%.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flow diagram showing exemplary entity interactionsduring the process of providing mixed cullet characterization andcertification for batch formulations. At step 510, beneficiators 110 a-ccontract, or engage in another business arrangement, with glass plant118 to supply a quantity and quality of C3MC. Price break points can beestablished, for example, as a function of C3MC composition. Forexample, a blend of C3MC stockpile 120 may consist of approximately 55%flint, 30% amber, and 15% green. This blend may generate maximum revenuefor glass plant 118. In addition to this composition, additional pricebreaks for decreasing percentages of flint glass content in the C3MC,for example, may be established at a corresponding discounted cost ofmaterial.

At step 512, glass plant 118 receives a shipment of C3MC frombeneficiators 110 a-c, and the associated specification datacorresponding to each shipment load, from controllers 114 a-c to batchcontroller 128 via, for example, a standard computer network or internetconnection.

At step 514, beneficiators 110 a-c, respectively, invoice glass plant118 for the shipment of C3MC provided in step 512. The invoice fee maybe based, for example, on the stored C3MC specification data from withinbatch controller 128 that corresponds to each load and thecost-per-quantity break point determined in step 510.

At step 516, glass plant 118 reimburses beneficiators 110 a-c,respectively, for the shipment of C3MC provided in step 512, inaccordance with the invoice delivered in step 514.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method of creating a batch of recycledglass from mixed color recycled glass cullet, the method comprising:receiving target specification data for mixed color recycled glasscullet from a glass plant; receiving a first batch of mixed colorrecycled glass cullet provided by a first processing facility having afirst color composition percentage, the first batch of mixed colorrecycled glass cullet comprising flint, green, and amber glass;receiving a second batch of mixed color recycled glass cullet providedby a second processing facility having a second color compositionpercentage, the second batch of mixed color recycled glass culletcomprising flint, green, and amber glass; and generating, after thereceiving the target specification data, a third batch of mixed colorrecycled glass cullet, the third batch of mixed color recycled glasscullet having specification data consistent with the targetspecification data, the generating including blending a first amount ofthe first batch of mixed color recycled glass cullet with a secondamount of the second batch of mixed color recycled glass cullet, thefirst amount of the first batch of mixed color recycled glass culletcalculated at least in part by the first color composition of the firstbatch of mixed color recycled glass cullet, the second amount of thesecond batch of mixed color recycled glass cullet calculated at least inpart by the second color composition percentage of the second batch ofmixed color recycled glass cullet; combining a portion of the thirdbatch of mixed color recycled glass cullet with plant scrap to form afurther color composition; and adjusting the further color compositionby combining raw materials with the third batch of mixed color recycledglass cullet and the plant scrap.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: producing glass at the glass plant, using at least the thirdbatch of mixed color recycled glass cullet; and determining a glasscoloring oxide agent level to produce a desired color of a glassproduct, the glass product including at least a portion of the thirdbatch of mixed color recycled glass cullet.
 3. The method of claim 2,wherein the glass coloring oxide agent is copper oxide.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising producing glass at the glass plant, using atleast the third batch of mixed color recycled glass cullet; wherein theproduced glass has a desired transmission property.
 5. The method ofclaim 4, further comprising determining a glass coloring oxide agentlevel to produce the desired transmission property.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one of the first color compositionpercentage and the second color composition percentage is analyzed by atleast one optical imaging device.
 7. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising storing the at least one of the first color compositionpercentage, the second color composition percentage, and the third colorcomposition percentage for use on a specification sheet.
 8. A method ofcreating a consistent feed stream to glass plant of mixed color recycledglass cullet, the method comprising: receiving a first batch of recycledglass provided by a first processing facility, the first batch ofrecycled glass comprising flint, green and amber glass; removingcontaminants from the first batch of recycled glass; separating a firstportion of glass from the first batch of recycled glass, the firstportion of glass including pieces of glass greater than approximately0.625 inches in size; crushing said separated first portion of glass toa piece size of less than 0.625 inches; returning, after the crushing,said first portion of glass to the first batch of recycled glass;measuring the color composition percentage of the first batch ofrecycled glass; and combining a first portion of the first batch ofrecycled glass with a second portion of a second batch of recycled glassprovided by a second processing facility having a second colorcomposition percentage to generate a third batch of recycled glasshaving a third color composition percentage, the second batch ofrecycled glass comprising flint, green and amber glass, the third colorcomposition percentage being consistent with a color compositionpercentage specified by a glass plant before the combining; combining aportion of the third batch of recycled glass with plant scrap to form afurther color composition; and adjusting the further color compositionby combining raw materials with the third batch of recycled glass andthe plant scrap.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one ofthe first color composition percentage and the second color compositionpercentage is analyzed by at least one optical imaging device.
 10. Themethod of claim 8, further comprising storing the at least one of thefirst color composition percentage, the second color compositionpercentage, and the third color composition percentage for use on aspecification sheet.
 11. The method of claim 8, wherein the third colorcomposition percentage of the third batch of recycled glass isconsistent with the specified color composition percentage when thethird color composition percentage of the third batch of recycled glassis (1) equal to the specified color composition percentage, or (2)within a predetermined percentage range identified by the specifiedcolor composition percentage.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein thetarget specification data includes at least one of one of a colorspecification, purity specification, and contaminant specification. 13.The method of claim 1, wherein the specification data of the third batchof mixed color recycled glass cullet is consistent with the targetspecification data when the specification data of the third batch ofmixed color recycled glass cullet is (1) equal to the targetspecification, or (2) within a predetermined percentage range identifiedby the target specification.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein thespecification data of the third batch of mixed color recycled glasscullet includes data associated with a third color compositionpercentage of the third batch of mixed color recycled glass cullet, thethird color composition percentage of the third batch of mixed colorrecycled glass cullet is consistent with a specified color compositionpercentage included in the target specification data such that the thirdbatch of mixed color recycled glass cullet can be used in a glassproduction process by the glass plant, the glass production processhaving determined a glass coloring oxide agent level before thegenerating the third batch of mixed color recycled glass cullet.
 15. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: reducing the organic content ofthe third batch of mixed color recycled glass cullet.
 16. The method ofclaim 8, further comprising: reducing the organic content of the thirdbatch of mixed color recycled glass cullet.